Devotion (Jessie Ware album)
| Devotion | ||||
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| Studio album by Jessie Ware | ||||
| Released | 20 August 2012 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 43:31 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | ||||
| Jessie Ware chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Devotion | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 85/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| The A.V. Club | B+ |
| The Guardian |  |
| NME | 8/10 |
| Pitchfork | 8.5/10 |
| PopMatters | 9/10 |
| Rolling Stone | |
| Slant Magazine | |
| Spin | 8/10 |
| Sputnikmusic | 4/5 |
Devotion is the debut studio album by English singer Jessie Ware. It was released in the United Kingdom on 20 August 2012. Production for the album came primarily from Dave Okumu of alternative rock band The Invisible, alongside Julio Bashmore and Kid Harpoon.
On 15 April 2013, the album was re-released as Devotion – The Gold Edition. It includes a bonus disc with four tracks, two of which are previously unreleased, including a new single, "Imagine It Was Us". One day later, this version of the album was released in the United States under its original title.
The album was recognized as one of the 100 best albums of the decade so far by Pitchfork in August 2014.
In the years prior to releasing her first solo album, Ware did backing vocals at live shows for Jack Peñate (who took her on tour in America) and Man Like Me. Ware said she learned a lot during her time with Jack Peñate: "Performing with him was really good training, because I got to learn all about how other people do it – I was able to perform live without the pressure of being a lead singer. It gave me a taste of what to expect, and it prepared me for what I’m doing now." It was one of Peñate's bandmates, Tic, who first introduced Ware to SBTRKT; Ware and SBTRKT went on to collaborate on Nervous (2010). She consequently met Sampha, best known as SBTRKT's main collaborator and live member. They created "Valentine" together, which was released on a special edition, heart-shaped vinyl by Young Turks in 2011. "Valentine" was partly inspired by James Blake's song "The Wilhelm Scream" and based on their own personal experiences in love. The music video for Valentine was directed by Marcus Söderlund. "Nervous", "Valentine" and an additional collaboration with DJ Joker ("The Vision") led Ware to a record deal with PMR Records. She also featured on Ceremonials, the 2011 album by Florence and the Machine in which her good friend Florence Welch is lead singer.
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